Students On Ice’s Arctic voyage continues with more breathtaking sceneries, wildlife and adventures!

Arctic Expedition 2008

By Students On Ice's Youth Contributors

Our Students On Ice's Youth Contributors share with us their experience on this amazing journey through the Arctic!


By Alexandra Polasko, student

We have done so much today that writing this journal entry is taking me some thought! Here with the Students on Ice staff and fellow students, I feel as if have accomplished more in a day than in a regular school week! Life here is FANTASTIC! Our first activity today was taking an unexpected zodiac cruise to Hantsch Island. As I found out later today, the zodiac cruise was actually supposed to be to another island; however, being as flexible as we are, we just went with the flow, and going with the flow turned out to be the best thing that happened to me today. While at Hantsch Island, our zodiac group saw hundreds upon hundreds of magnificent birds: Thick-Billed Murres and Kittiwakes. It was breath-taking. While on the zodiac I closed my eyes and took in the sounds and smells that consisted of young and old birds chirping, the grey waves crashing against the boat, and of course the unforgettable smell of bird poop. I have never felt so calm and peaceful in my life until that moment. As Jeff would say, I am in love with zodiacs.

When I thought the day couldn’t get anymore incredible, Students on Ice exceeded my expectations, and the day continued its amazing course. Erik gave us a lecture on ice and snow that was not only funny and witty, but also informative and interesting. Although the lecture reminded me of school, there was one humongous difference between Erik’s lecture and school; I was passionate and intensely interested in what Erik was saying, and the more he talked the more I felt connected to what he was saying. I loved every minute of it.

In conclusion to this unforgettable day, I realized that the Students on Ice program not only allows us to see glaciers and mountains with our eyes, but also with our minds. With this killer combination, we are prepared to fight any battle, prepared to step into any unknown, prepared for whatever life may throw at us, and that, I believe, is the greatest gift anyone can give. Thank you.




By Graham May, student

Today was our first full day at sea, and we are really getting into the arctic spirit. This morning I was forced awake by the early sun, shining high in the sky at 5 am! I spent the morning iceberg watching as we sailed out of Frobisher Bay. We arrived at Hantsh Island around noon, and launched the Zodiacs for a closer look. The small island of about a square kilometer houses one hundred thousand Thick-billed Murres, an incredible cacophony of avian life. I am told that this is only 3 percent of the species in the wild, but still they occupy every crack and cranny in the steep cliffs. Vying for space with the Murres are innumerable Kittiwakes, small gulls with yellow bills, joining the fight for a place to nest. The island, being well above the tree line, was covered with low scrub and brush, and greenish lichen grew on the crags of the cliff face. I have gone over the biology of the island in such detail mainly for the benefit of my mother, who I know will appreciate it! After circling around Hantsch Island we motored up to a majestic glacier, the top covered with yet more birds. Lastly, and probably most exciting, as we pulled away from the island we sighted the highly symbolic polar bear, poster child of the arctic, walking high up in the cliffs.

The other event of great interest that occurred today was a lecture given by Ann Hanson, the Nunavut commissioner and Order of Canada recipient, with whom we have the immense good luck of sharing our expedition. She gave an intriguing and engaging overview of the Inuit people’s situation, given through her own experience. Apparently this is the first of many, and they will be greatly anticipated.

Spirit on the ship continues at an incredible high, with an infectious spirit of optimism pervading throughout. This is a truly incredible group of people, and I feel truly lucky to be a part of it.

By Leah Pengelly, student

Our first day at sea was amazing. We had a wonderful breakfast and decided to explore an island rarely visited that had thousands of nesting birds. The island holds 5% of all the thick billed murres in the world which is around 125 000 birds. The birds resemble penguins but can fly as well as dive up to 200m. The amount of sound was unbelievable against the quiet of the ocean. There were also a number of gulls nesting on the cliffs whose eggs had recently hatched. After a few of us were pooped on we headed over some large icebergs where more birds were perched. The size of the icebergs was very impressive. On the way back our driver spotted a polar bear up on top of the mountain. It wasn’t very close but you could tell it was a very large bear. After the zodiac cruise we had a lecture on Ice and Snow that was very interesting. We also got our scientific bottle experience ready to put bottles in the ocean to track if the currents are changing because of different weather patterns. Tonight is mostly free time with a recap at the end of the day and a talk about the Inuit people from Ann Hansen. We have yet to encounter rough seas and are hoping our good karma keeps it that way.

Hopefully we see more wildlife and polar bears closer to the shore. Tomorrow we are heading due north and meeting the sea ice in Cumberland Strait. There we might tour around or keep heading north because we can’t go through yet. Hopefully it will be another exciting day!

By Patrick Crawford, student

Today, our first day of true expedition, was unexpected, magnificent and in the true expedition spirit. I feel overwhelmed by what we have encountered. Finding time to process the events that have occurred takes more time than is available. Through group discussions and writing these journals, we can combine our thoughts to react and respond to what we have experienced.

The views were spectacular, the animals observed magnificent, and the growing sense of community development within the entire SOI team is unparalleled. The inclusion of the scientific and social aspects expands our minds beyond their normal horizons. From the four main experiences of the day: workshop on GPS navigation, Ice education, Zodiac tour of the rarely seen Hantsch Island, and an amazing oration by Commissioner Ann Hanson all were varied, educational, one-of-a-kind, and amazing. One of the main challenges is trying to conserve time so that it does not go by so quickly. We must learn to stop and smell the roses, in order for the experiences to be fully appreciated.

By Charlie Nakashuk, student

Hi there! I’m an Inuk and my name is Charlie Nakashuk. I live in Pangnirtung, Nunavut. It’s a community high in the Canadian Arctic. The coolest part of this trip is meeting new people because they are from around all the world.This ship is very cool. When you are inside it feels like a hotel. But when you are on deck it definitely feels like a ship!


Image credits (from top): 1) Team in the zodiac.; 2) The Thick Billed Murres.;3) The team encounters a huge iceberg.; 4) Birds on an iceberg.

Medyum, Medyumlar, Cinler, Buyuler, Nazar, Fallar, Yildizname, Hipnoz, Telepati, Reankarnasyon, Horoskop, Yorum, Tarot, Palmistry, Numeroloji, Konusunda Lider Site..!

nice pictures, I love them , that is realy a clean world , so many birds!